CAG unveils dubious expenditure at Dar maritime institute

The Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute (DMI) has been in the spot over dubious expenditures and disregard for financial regulations in the use of public funds.

Controller and Auditor General (CAG) Ludovick Utouh revealed this in his recently released audit report of public authorities and other bodies for the fiscal year 2010/11.

“The amount paid contrary to the financial regulations including those used in dubious expenditures and misappropriated funds should be returned to the DMI and be used as intended,” read part of the report.

The report recommends that staff members implicated in the plundering of public funds should be punished and the DMI should ensure employment procedures put in place by the President’s Office (Public Management Service) were adhered to and staff entitlements should be in line with DMI’s scheme of services.

The CAG report revealed that 83.96m/- was paid as honorarium and other allowances without the approval of the DMI board of directors. Out of the amount, 51.8m/- was paid to the chairman of DMI Council as honorarium, fuel and monthly allowances, while 2.6m/- was paid as sitting allowances to accounts staff without attending any meeting.

The audit report also shows 10.4m/- was paid to DMI staff as allowances to a task force created to upgrade and harmonise DMI’s syllabus in June, 2009 but those paid were not part of the team.

The DMI also disbursed 385m/- from the Ministry of Communication meant to settle creditor’s claims. It said only 205.8m/- was paid to the creditor, while the remaining 17.3m/- was spent on recurrent expenditures contrary to requirements.

“A total of 12 officials were paid higher salaries contrary to their scales and without approval from the DMI council. The salary scale they used is approved for lecturers, thus causing a loss of 16m/- from July 2009 to January this year,” it said.

It was also noted that the University of Leeds Metropolitan based in London donated 25 computers for the DMi’s library and paid 3m/- to the clearing agent, M/S Mashade Limited, to meet port charges in December 7, 2007 but to date the computers had not been delivered.

It recommended to the DMI to trace the whereabouts of the computers and take disciplinary measures against the staff involved in stealing computer accessories.